Members of the women’s golf team have a sour taste in their mouths after a disappointing showing at the ACC Women’s Golf Championship.
The event, which took place from April 14-16, pitted Miami against eight teams, including No. 1 Duke. As a whole, Miami finished with a score of 933, settling for eighth place. Duke won its 11th consecutive ACC Championship with a collective score of 885.
Needless to say, Miami Head Coach Lela Cannon said she is extremely frustrated with the team’s showing.
“I am very disappointed in the way we played,” said Cannon, who expected the Hurricanes to finish fourth or fifth. “I don’t think that’s very good, do you?”
Cannon said injuries played a large part in the team’s sub-par effort. However, the Hurricanes also played poorly in their previous three events, finishing with scores of 901, 959 and 913, respectively.
Cannon said the main reason behind the recent lack of success has been due to a need of leadership after losing standout Tina Miller to graduation last year. “I think they lack leadership this year,” Cannon said. “Stop worrying about how everyone else is playing,” They need to put all their personal problems behind them and play better.”
However, not all the blame is being placed on the golfers. Cannon said a lack of facilities is a serious detriment to the team.
“I wish we had a place we could go to practice whenever we wanted. It’s very difficult,” she said. “We’re the only ACC school without our own facilities.”
Despite the current struggles for the golf program, Cannon said she has confidence in the future, namely in sophomore Jessica Steward.
“She’s going to be a good player,” said Cannon. “She will get better in the future. She and Josie [Shinn] are the future.”
The NCAA East Regional Golf Championship is coming up on May 11. However, the Miami team will not be sure if they have qualified for competition until May 1.
Cannon said the team should simply be focusing on golf, without being distracted by outside influences.
“They need to realize that when you’re on a full ride, this is a job. They need to put all their personal problems behind them and play better,” she said. “Play with your head and your heart.”
Joel Brown can be contacted at j.brown22@umiami.edu.